April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
ACTIVE VOLUNTEER
Hancock Catholic opens home to persons with disabilities
"I just have a love for people who are marginalized," said Mrs. Marin, a St. Paul's parishioner who helps with the community's Bethany ministry, preparing meals for funeral luncheons. "I'm always driven to help."
Mrs. Marin opened the Perfectly Priced Shop on East Front Street in Hancock in 2010. She accepts donations of items like household goods, shoes, clothes and electronics and sells items at low prices or even gives them away if shoppers are struggling with money. She donates some of her profits to a local food bank and an afterschool program or toward requests for assistance.
Mrs. Marin is indebted to a team of volunteers who help run the store when she's attending to her other responsibilities.
"They believe in the ministry that we do here," she said. "There's so much more when you give. And it's not money. It's just joy. It makes me happy to uplift somebody by giving them what they needed - without asking too many questions."
That's also Mrs. Marin's attitude at home. Back in 1985, she learned about family care homes, in which families meeting certain requirements house adults with disabilities in need of placement. She figured her seven-bedroom home had plenty of space, even with her three children still living there at the time.
"I feel like I have so much, I can give it away," she said.
She and her husband modified and decorated bedrooms. They have housed four to six residents at a time ever since. Mrs. Marin has been trained to provide total care to those who need it; all of the individuals attend programs for persons with disabilities during the day.
The guests have taught Mrs. Marin a lot and inspired her own faith.
"I learn how blessed we are," she said. "We should love each other with brotherly affection. We're supposed to be doing God's work.
"It's very rewarding to be able to serve them and to see how easily you can please them," she continued. "Anything you do for them is very appreciated, and they depend on you. No matter how little it is, they're full of joy."
Society has improved at not ignoring this population, she said - and St. Paul's parish has a knack for treating parishioners with disabilities equally.
"They've really accepted them," Mrs. Marin said of her Catholic guests, who are enthusiastic about attending Mass. Her guests "love being part of the family and being part of God's family. Sometimes we have a hard time treating people [who] have challenges the same. We're all God's children. These guys are just so loving and they just want to be treated like the rest of us, and that's what I do."
Mrs. Marin was born in Puerto Rico and has lived in Hancock since she was in her 20s. She spends summers with her seven grandchildren and fills her free time with volunteering in the community.[[In-content Ad]]
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